January 4, 2021
Diane stopped by the other day for her annual Christmas visit. She said Brad's wife Carma is working at a covid spit testing site out west and enjoys the job, even working in the cold. So if any of you go there...you wouldn't recognize her I'm sure, unless they have a name tag with their first name or something.
Derek and Danielle and Noelle stopped by this morning for a visit. They brought us a box of masks and a box of Banbury Cross doughnuts! They helped with some house decorating stuff.
I don't know if Jen's email was clear that it was Cooper who won 2 years in a row and the $600 this last time!
Well, off to breakfast and my swim. My blood glucose is back low enough to have my 2nd doughnut!
January 11, 2021
Hi Kids,
- We Just returned from my diabetes doctor---------A1c was 5.7 (was 5.6 last time). Both really good! I've been taking weekly Trulicity injections for the past few years, 1.5. There is a lower dose of .75. Now Trulicity has recently come out with injections with double the medicine I am taking (3.0) and other injections with triple what I am taking (4.5)! So he gave me two pens of the 3.0 to try. I had read about the new higher doses and asked him about them and checked with our insurance before I went today. I doubt he would have mentioned it otherwise.
So it pays to keep on new information on health issues. And I'm so glad I questioned him more about it. I thought that if I handled the double dose fine the first few days, that would show I tolerated it well. He said no, it would take about 2 weeks for the new higher dose to even kick in! He said if I tolerated this 3.0 dose well, I could call the office and get some samples of the 4.5 dose pens. Hopefully the higher doses will help more with weight loss. He said they would.
I thought on my weekly shots, that if I forgot to take my shot for a few days, that I had little medicine in my blood those few days. And I thought the weekly shots were probably stronger the first few days and waned over the week. He said no, the effect on blood glucose is remarkably consistent over the weeks.
So, the lesson here is: Always pump your doctor for all the information you can learn about things while you are there. Even though I've had diabetes for about 16 years and have read lots and keep up to date on new information, I still had incorrect ideas about my meds. Doctors don't always know what their individual patients know and don't know.
- Dad will miss his daily newspaper, now that the Deseret News has switched to online only during the week days, with a hard copy on weekends. And maybe one monthly hard copy??? At least it will help us not have the buildup of all the newspapers around the house, waiting for me to catch up on them.
- Corin and Kylie and Kadan and Christine stopped by for a visit a week ago. I was in the pool, so they came and visited there
. Jared stayed overnight here last Wed., so it was to visit.
- Jen came for a visit and brought some food and Christmas gifts and some special ointment for a couple odd sores I had that looked like what Cooper had had. Nice to visit with her--it had been several months. I gave her a short Fidelity lesson.
- You are related to our new Governor Cox--not closely. I knew my mother's 1st cousin was Mel Cox (Mel and Edith also lived 3 doors from Mom and Dad by their last house). And all are from Fairview.
- My doctor said it would take a couple weeks for the covid vaccine to help your immunity kick in. After Boris escaping the virus for 9 months, working in the ICU, he came down with covid, he hadn't been able to get his vaccination yet. Krystal got it also.
- We listened to Aaron's talk at Sacrament also. I thought his talk was very good and heartfelt, about his struggles with learning Spanish on his mission and feeling his prayers for help were not getting answered----but looking back, he could see all the lessons learned through those struggles. He will be serving in Spokane, Washington now.
Have a good week! love, Mom
January 13, 2021
Trying to set up an appointment for the Covid vaccine. Very frustrating! I got up early to start calling at 8 a.m. All I get is a busy signal, over and over. You have to keep calling in, just to get a busy signal. It is not even efficient, like your insurance company, etc., where you are put on hold for the next available employee. Even on hold for an hour, you can lay the phone down and go on with your computer work, etc. This way you cannot do anything except keep dialing or hanging up and do redial, not much easier. And it could go on like this for days! No wonder things are inefficient with the rollout. They need a business executive in charge. I would think they would have it working better after this amount of time.
(a bit later)
In case this can help others, Scott located the good sign-up link. I just don't know how to get a couple gets appts. at the same time. COVID Vaccine Scheduling - Health Department | SLCo
A lot to fill out, and by the time you fill it out, the time-slot was filled. Now the message seems to indicate that all the vaccine will be used up with current appts., so they won't take more appts. It does look like once you register with all your information, it saves it, so you don't have to fill it out over and over. You do have to fill it out for each person. The website is overwhelmed.
I sure don't know why I didn't come across this good link. I did google searches with all types of wording. I checked the County health website and it just mentioned calling starting today at 8 a.m.
Thanks Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You saved my day of busy signals!
(a bit later)
I just went back to the website and it already looked different. It said it could take up to an hour to be notified. So I went to gmail and the appt. that Scott had filled out for me worked and the notification was there now.
I will get my shot Thurs. Jan. 22, at 2:30.
It had filled up in just the few min. between Scott finishing mine and me filling out Dad's.
The website is better now, in that it tells you right away in red that the registration is full. The website was a little confusing and ambiguous before. Now it just says Registration if full, without showing the very long list of appt. days and times.
What I still don't know and wish they would write on their website---is if you have filled out all the information once, it will count for future attempts to register. I wish also that they would make it so couples could come together at the same time. That would be an improvement.
So I will just have to keep checking back and trying for Dad's appt. So we will have to make two trips.
All vaccinations will be given at the Expo Center at 9575 South State, in Sandy. I guess that is the only location for all of Salt Lake County.
January 18, 2021
Hi Kids,
Dave Olson just called. He was assigned to call people in our ward 70 and older and check on whether they had gotten the vaccine. He gave this new link that has a waiting list for people 70 and older.
It must just have been added to the SL County website. So I put Dad on it.
January 22, 2021
Off to vaccination. Pray with us that they will give Dad one too. I will report when we get done or home.
(a bit later)
- From Jen: Did Mom text everyone? I got this ...sharing just in case it didn’t go out to all ...“We are done and we both got our shots and will get our second one on February 12! We got the Pfizer vaccine. So that’s good because you get your second shot a week earlier than if we had gotten them Moderna one.”
(a bit later)
Lines and stations, but very organized. They seemed nice and willing to add Dad in. We were so relieved! I don't think Dad would have even asked, but I did. I even heard one man ask if he could get a shot without an appointment. He was told if he waited until 3, when they close up, they would if they had vaccine left. They wouldn't know until then. I know they wouldn't want an onslaught of people at the end, but maybe they welcome a few to use up thawed vaccine from "no shows."
They take your temperature on your wrist when you first go in (I never heard of that). Then they take it on your forehead at the next person. Several stations for different forms and papers. Circles on the floor for physical distancing 6 feet apart. It was nice that they had a chair by each circle, for people who couldn't stand in line for a long time, like me.
The shots didn't hurt at all, despite the very long needles. I've heard that the length of the needle doesn't make the shot hurt, but the width. My Trulicity shots once a week are shorter, but hurt because they are fatter needles!
With a 2:30 appt., we were in the 15-min. waiting place after, by 2:50.
There was lots of parking. It had been raining when we got out. They had about 5 young people with golf carts to take people to and from their cars. So that was nice, since our car was a ways away.
We got the Pfizer vaccine. We get our 2nd dose on Fri. Feb. 12th. They will send us a reminder and tell the time and place. I'm glad that they already have the date set up so we don't have to go through the very difficult sign-ups again.
I'm glad we got that vaccine so we get the 2nd dose a week quicker than if we had gotten the Moderna vaccine. Nelva and Arnold got Pfizer also.
Today is Lorrie's birthday and she said their best present is they got appts. set up on Feb. 2.
It will be so nice in a couple weeks to not have to worry so much, and even better after the 2nd shot.
Kemery is coming tonight and bringing dinner, which is sweet of her!
January 23, 2021
Shane just did a face-time with us and mentioned Calder had been out playing in the snow for quite awhile. We said, What snow? We have no snow. He said they had 5" or so in Utah County!
He mentioned they are having Janika and Brandon for dinner tomorrow night. That is so nice. He said Janika and Brandon are buying a townhouse that is being built, so they will be able to choose some things. In Pleasant Grove or somewhere around there. Exciting!
I asked Shane to tell them about our experience in buying their house----that the credit union wanted to put it in a person's name first and then switch it to the trust. I don't know if all lenders want to do it that way or just the UCCU credit union. Janika and Brandon have done the Suze Orman Trust like all of us have, so just wanted them to be aware of our experience, so they can get their new home in their trust.
So I am copying them on this. Let us know how your lending institution chooses to do it, J and B. As soon as we signed all the papers buying Shane's house, then they printed off a short one page "Quit Claim Deed" changing the newly purchased house to our trust. Just be sure they follow through with that part, because we had to keep reminding them we wanted it all done in one trip. Even then they didn't have the quit claim deed prepared and we had to wait while they called their office and had someone print it up and send it by an attachment to the mortgage company where we were waiting.
We are not hearing texts come on our phone again--I think because of Dad's new apple watch. Corin finally got things changed on my watch. So we need to learn how to switch the sound so we don't miss texts.
- From Janika: Hi grandma! Yes, it's in Pleasant Grove! Unfortunately we don't get to choose anything with our house. Apparently they ordered everything before we bought it, so we're stuck with what they chose, even though it's nowhere near done, but oh well. We'll definitely keep the trust info in mind! We kind of forgot about that, so thank you for the reminder! We had everything lined up to go with Cache Valley bank as our lender as they were willing to offer us an employee rate since Brandon is still kind of working for them, but apparently due to land zoning we have to go with a different lender. I think they'll match our rate, luckily, but it's frustrating nonetheless. (So far we are THOROUGHLY unimpressed with DR Horton, the builder, they have been incredibly frustrating to work with, so if any other cousins are on the lookout... They should keep that in mind).
Reply to Janika (copied all)
Hope all goes well for you with your new home. Corin and Kylie want to move back to Sanpete County. It has been hard for them friend-wise, moving to Provo area, with covid and all. When you all feel safe, maybe you could have them over and get acquainted more.
Thanks for the heads up on DR Horton builders---good to know those things and I will pass the info along to help others. We'll have to ask who the builder was for Landon and Sol and whether they were good to work with.
When we bought our old home when we moved back from Washington in 1972, the house had just been finished, so we didn't get to choose anything either. The first thing I said was, "I hope that's the primer paint on the outside!" Sadly, it was the final coat---mustard yellow. I guess that was an "in" color that year, or decade. I didn't like it at all. But Grandpa would never spend money replacing things that hadn't worn out or off, so it was many years before we put rock work and dark brown metal paneling on the outside. It was still the same orangish shag carpeting when we moved 23 years later!
Nice we will be closer when we move to Highland in a year and a half. Our new address will be 5819 W. Yorkshire Ct. (about 10200 North) in Highland, if you go out for a drive----ask Shane if your GPS will take you there or not yet, if the area is too new.
Grandpa and I got our 1st vaccinations yesterday! Yippee! We should get the 2nd on Feb. 12--hopefully vaccine will be available. Then we will be able to get together with family more!
love, Grandma
January 30, 2021
Chris texted that they just heard from Aaron, after his arrival on his mission, that he is serving first in Bellevue. Bellevue is where John and Melva lived in Washington, so Aaron might run into people that knew Westras in Washington, by Seattle.
Chris, you could email Todd Westra and find out how long the Westras were in Bellevue, what their address was, in case Aaron serves in their former ward/stake. Ask if there are still Westras living there. See if that is where Todd and his 8 siblings were raised. We stayed with John & Melva once or twice and they were always so kind to us. They even drove across Washington State to come visit us in Richland----and brought a roast beef dinner!
We visited Todd's parents (Joy and Jerry Westra) once while we were there visiting John and Melva, so they probably lived close by them.
Uncle John would always get together with LaMar, to work on genealogy, when we moved back here and they would come to visit Melva's twin sister, Marva DeHaan. They lived just off Vine Street in the 9th ward, so less than a mile from us. Uncle John was really into Dutch Genealogy. As Chris has worked on helping cleaning out our house, he came across a big box full of Uncle John's records. Chris contacted Todd Westra (in Heber) and asked him if he wanted all his Grandpa's stuff. Todd was happy to get it and came to Chris's house to pick it up, when Todd was coming to work in the Provo Temple. It was nice for them to meet. Todd visited Shane and Alicia twice when he was on a business trip to California. He has hosted several family parties in Heber than Dad and I have gone to---and invited all our kids and grandkids, but none of them have attended. I think Todd is the youngest of Joy and Jerry's 9 kids. Jerry also has a Scott Westra.
Joy and Jerry and several of their 9 kids live in Utah now, mainly Utah County.
You could tell Aaron about all the family connections there in case it gets him into some homes.
--------------------------------
Jen, nice Westra Way, as always (Cleaning in the Genes). LaMar also worked in schools, some inside jobs---cleaning wall paper with putty/dough stuff and watering new school lawns.
When your Grandma Westra (Lucille) married Vic Burgener, he was over all the janitorial work for Granite School District. Your Grandpa Joe was purchasing Agent for Granite School District-------Dad said they got lots of boxes of chocolates for Christmas--from companies trying to stay in good relations with the purchasing agent! Grandma Lucille worked in the main office of Granite School District------Dad doesn't remember whether she worked there while Joe was alive, or just used his connections to get a job after Joe died. Family histories probably tell more.
- From Jen: I added these little tidbits to the blog post - Dad had written about his cleaning experiences in his history, so I copied and pasted that paragraph. Lucille, while writing SO much about so many things, did not mention her work as a secretary except for listing as one of her places of employment. No mention of Vic being over janitorial either, so I'm glad you remembered that.
No comments:
Post a Comment